MINNEAPOLIS -- The Detroit Tigers are one game out of a wild-card spot and two games out of the division lead with 33 games to play. After wrapping up seven games on the road Sunday, the Tigers head home for three games before hitting the road again.

The Tigers will host the New York Yankees for three games starting Tuesday, then head to Chicago and Cleveland for eight games in seven days starting Friday.

Here are five things to keep an eye on this week:

Can Justin Verlander get on track?Verlander is clearly having the worst season of his career. It was good news for Verlander and the Tigers when a recent MRI showed only normal wear and tear on his right shoulder. But it also didn't explain what has been behind his troubles this season. Verlander had a decent outing Saturday night, but it will be interesting to see how he performs down the stretch.

Where will the Tigers stand at the end of their current grind?The Tigers are in a stretch in which they are playing 21 games in 20 days and 55 games in 55 days. They are in a stretch in which they are playing 15 of 18 games on the road. They will play most of their games down the stretch in September, but it's important that the Tigers don't dig themselves into a big hole prior to heading home Sept. 5 for a nine-game homestand.

Will Anibal Sanchez be ready to return to the rotation Saturday?The Tigers are expected to use rookie Kyle Lobstein on Thursday in their series finale with the Yankees, but they will need someone to start Saturday in one of the two games of their doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox. (Max Scherzer will start one of the two games.) If Anibal Sanchez is ready to return from the disabled list, he will start Saturday. If he is not, the Tigers will have to call a pitcher up from the minors.

Will Max Scherzer or Rick Porcello make a run at 20 wins?Scherzer and Porcello are among the league leaders in pitching victories. Scherzer has 15; Porcello has 14. They have six or seven starts remaining, so reaching 20 wins for the season will be almost impossible. But how close will they get? Scherzer won 23 games last season, so he'll clearly fall short of his career high. But Porcello has never won more than 14. Every win from this point forward will be a new career high for him.

Will Joakim Soria return from the DL and help stabilize the bullpen?The Tigers traded a pair of pitching prospects to the Texas Rangers last month to get Soria, who was supposed to be a big help in the late innings. But Soria struggled immediately after the trade and then headed to the disabled list earlier this month. Oblique injuries can be troublesome, but Brad Ausmus said Sunday that Soria has been improving steadily in recent days.